Tag Archives: peels

Today I’m reviewing the last Drunk Elephant product in my skincare stash. I’ve always been curious about Drunk Elephant due to the name. The C-Firma serum didn’t really impress me, but I did like all the other serums and moisturizers. While they also have nice cleansers, my favorite of the line, aside from B-Hydra, has to be the T.L.C Sukari Babyfacial.

When it comes to chemical exfoliation, a blend of acids will give better and more comprehensive results than high concentration of a specific acid since different acid/enzymes target different problems. Babyfacial contains 25% AHA (glycolic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and citric acids) to smooth skin texture, reduce pigmentation and fine lines as well as 2% BHA (salicylic acid) to combat breakouts and keep your pores clean. Oh, it also contains pumpkin ferment extract for some enzyme exfoliation. In short, it’s got all the chemical exfoliation ingredients you would ever want. While acids can do wonders for your skin, they can be irritating if not carefully balanced with other ingredients. Babyfacial contains aloe vera and green tea to condition and soothe the skin as well as hyaluronic acid and oils to replenish moisture and nourish skin. Basically, it’s packed to the brim with good ingredients. I can go on and on about each of them, but the most important thing is result!

While intensive peels are great for fast results, sometimes our skin is just not up to the task. I did a blog post explaining different purpose, ingredients and usage of peels here. It’s hard enough to decide with every brands having their own peels, but some have multiple and how are you suppose to figure out which is which??? Well today, we will be talking about all four peels from Philosophy!

My first experience was with the Resurface Microdelivery Dual-phase peel and I really liked it, which prompted me to try and figure out what’s the difference between all of them. The star of today’s post are……*drum roll*…….

So most of the skincare stuff I’ve blogged about so far consist of masks and makeup removers. I gave a little review of DDG extra strength peel pad here but we haven’t really discussed peels. We really should. Peels and acids are chemical exfoliators. They can lighten your dark spots, even your skintone, makes your skin smoother and younger and clearer. While you don’t need to go to a dermatologist office in order to get some good peels, you can’t just grab a random one off the shelf either since the wrong usage/product can damage your skin. Here’s a little introduction, or review for those who are skincare savvy, about acids and peels.

First, let’s look at the acids most commonly used in scrubs and peels from the smallest molecule to the largest (smaller molecule penetrates the skin and works on a deeper level while larger ones work on the surface):

Glycolic Acid – derived from sugar and a popular ingredient in higher end and anti-aging products. It penetrates deeper into the skin and produces more dramatic result, but can potentially irritate.

Lactic Acid – derived from dairy and fermented products. It draws moisture to the skin as it removes dead cell, so it’s a hydrating acid.

Fruit Acids – consist of citric (lemon, grapefruit etc) and malic (apple) etc works on the uppermost layer of the skin and often combined with glycolic and lactic for faster results.

Salicylic Acid – also known as beta hydroxy acid (BHA), most often used to unclog oily pores and treat acne. It is oil soluble, therefore effective for oily skin in unclogging pores and treating acne, while AHA (the other ones above) are water soluble, so they are best for sun damage, dark spots and smoothing the skin texture.

Enzyme – it is not an acid, but it is often combined with acid in peels/masks and serve the same purpose in that it exfoliate dead skin cells and help with pigmentation, blemish, fine lines etc. The more common types are pumpkin, apple and papaya (papain). They are usually a bit more gentle and subtle than acid peels, but there’s less of a chance for irritation/sun sensitivity. In addition to the exfoliating properties, enzyme encourage skin healing and renewal. If your skin is feeling sluggish, like the flaky patches are never ready to shed etc. Enzyme mask/peel will help jump-start your skin. I find it particularly useful during change of the season, in the fall, otherwise I just exfoliate normally.

Skincare regimen…what does it include exactly? if you ask some overzealous saleslady, “EVERYTHING!” they will say while happily pushing dozens of “must-haves” onto you while your credit card shifts uncomfortably in your wallet. Every brands try to cover every skin type and every problem. You just need the products that covers YOUR problem. At minimum, you just need a cleanser and a moisturizer (+ an SPF for day), then add more as needed. The more things you add, the more complicated it gets with layering and what to apply when, so that’s what we will be covering today.